Roger Avary to write and direct Castle Wolfenstein

Academy Award-winning screenwriter Roger Avary (Pulp Fiction, Silent Hill) is to write and direct an adaptation of the World War II video game series Castle Wolfenstein. According to Deadline, the project is envisioned as "in the vein of Captain America and Inglourious Basterds [and is] about a young U.S. Army Captain and a British Special Agent on a top-secret mission to Castle Wolfenstein where Hitler will be for the unveiling of a new secret weapon. After reaching the castle, the heroes are confronted with Himmler’s SS Paranormal Division and must fight not only for their survival but for a mission that could alter the course of the war."

The Wolfenstein series launched way back in 1981 with the original action-adventure shooter Castle Wolfenstein, and was followed by a sequel, Beyond Castle Wolfenstein, in 1984. The series was rebooted by id Software (the company behind Doom and Quake) as a first person shooter in 1992 with Wolfenstein 3D, while later instalments in the franchise include 2001's Return to Castle Wolfenstein, 2003's Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory and 2009's Wolfenstein. An adaptation of Return to Castle Wolfenstein by Avary and Silent Hill producer Samuel Hadida was first announced in 2007, before being put on hold as Avary was charged with manslaughter and DUI in 2008.

"I’ve been playing the Wolfenstein games since I was a kid, and feel that their outlandish sensibility has deeply influenced my own writing and directing throughout my career," states Avary, whose other credits include the screenplay for Beowulf and writing and directing duties on Killing Zoe and The Rules of Attraction. “I have always thought Wolfenstein, transformed and opened for the screen to wider audiences not familiar with the games, would be a major cinematic experience, which is why I introduced it to Samuel."